Biodegradable water soluble toy dart

ABSTRACT

A biodegradable toy foam dart is described herein, wherein the biodegradable toy foam dart includes the biodegradable foam material. The toy foam dart includes a dart body and a dart cap.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a material for use in toys. Specifically, the material is biodegradable. The material may be used in various forms, such as a toy foam dart.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the toy industry, a large variety of toy launchers for projectiles such as bullets, darts, arrows or the like are available in the market. Among the various designs, a foam dart, which typically comprises a shaft or a body made of foam material connecting with a rigid head portion, has been gaining increasing popularity among both children and adult players because of their light weight and relatively low risk of injury. Particularly, toy foam darts have been designed with functional features in order to improve aerodynamic flight properties, safety, as well as to enhance user's experience during play.

A variety of different types of projectile launching toys are available. For example, HASBRO® makes an entire line of NERF® weaponry that fire NERF® projectiles. NERF® is a trademarked term well known in the toy industry and is associated with soft foam-like material. Other than weaponry, NERF® is also commonly associated with sports balls such as footballs, basketballs, and others. Over the years, a large number of NERF® foam-based weaponry products have been developed, including various blasters that launch various types of NERF® projectiles including darts, rockets, and balls.

NERF® foam is a spongy cellular material produced by the reaction of polyester with a diisocyanate. The polyester resin reacts with the diisocyanate while CO₂ is simultaneously released by another reaction. The CO₂ gas creates open pockets within the polyurethane that give the NERF® foam its soft and light properties.

Though the foam material may be biodegradable, it takes about 2 years to fully breakdown. When taking this long, the toy darts may be eaten by animals or decompose. Thus, there is a need for a material that could breakdown in less time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, a toy foam dart is provided. The toy foam day includes a biodegradable dart body including a foam material having a first starch and a biodegradable dart cap affixed to a longitudinal end of the biodegradable dart body, the biodegradable dart cap comprising the first starch or a second starch.

In an embodiment, the dart body of the toy foam dart may be cylindrical.

In an embodiment, the first starch may include cornstarch.

In some embodiments, the toy foam dart may have a length from about 55 mm to about 75 mm.

In some embodiments, the toy foam dart may have a cross-sectional diameter of about 10 mm.

In some embodiments of the toy foam dart, the dart cap may be integrally formed to the dart body.

In certain embodiments of the toy foam dart, the dart cap may be affixed to the dart body via an adhesive.

In some embodiments of the toy foam dart, the dart body may be hollow.

In another embodiment, a method of manufacturing a toy foam dart may be provided.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with references to the accompanying figures.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a dart with a cap in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a dart with a cap in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a dart cap and dart body in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram for manufacturing the toy foam dart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention advances the state of the art by developing a toy foam dart for use with a toy. The toy foam dart of the present disclosure may include a material that is biodegradable and that decomposes quickly.

As used herein, “about” refers to any values that are within a variation of ±10%, such that “about 10” would include from 9 to 11. As used herein, “a,” “an,” or “the” refers to one or more, unless otherwise specified. Thus, for example, reference to “an excipient” includes a single excipient as well as a mixture of two or more different excipients, and the like.

Recitation of ranges of values herein are merely intended to serve as a shorthand method of referring individually to each separate value falling within the range, unless otherwise indicated herein, and each separate value is incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by context.

The use of any and all examples, or exemplary language (e.g., “such as”) provided herein, is intended merely to illuminate certain materials and methods and does not pose a limitation on scope. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosed materials and methods.

In one embodiment of the present disclosure, a toy foam dart is presented. The toy foam dart may be biodegradable and may include a biodegradable dart body connectable to a biodegradable dart head. The dart body may be formed of a biodegradable, non-toxic, and optionally edible, foam material. The foam material may include a starch, such as wheat or cornstarch. In another embodiment, the toy foam dart may be water soluble and may include a water soluble dart body connectable to a water soluble dart head.

It has been found that the biodegradable foam material of the present disclosure may dissolve almost instantly (e.g., within a few seconds to a minute) when contacted with water. Thus, the biodegradable foam material of the present disclosure advantageously may be used outside with little to no concerns about environmental impact. The term biodegradable as used herein refers to materials that may be decomposed by the action of living organisms, for example, bacteria or fungi, and the material may decompose in about 10 minutes to about 2 hours, and other ranges.

In one embodiment, the toy foam dart may have a cylindrical shape. The cylindrical shape of the toy foam dart includes a length and cross-sectional diameter. The length of the toy foam dart may be from about 55 mm to about 75 mm, or from about 60 mm to about 70 mm in embodiments. Other lengths may also be used. In some embodiments, the cross-sectional diameter may be about 10 mm, about 11 mm, about 12 mm, about 13 mm, about 14 mm or about 15 mm. The toy foam dart may also have other diameters.

In some embodiments, the toy foam dart may include an elongated dart body that extends from a first end to a second end in a longitudinal direction. In certain embodiments, the toy foam dart may include a dart cap. In some embodiments, the dart cap may be affixed to the first end of the dart body.

As can be seen in FIG. 1 , a toy foam dart 10 in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure has an elongated profile configured for aerodynamic flight toward a target, such as toward a person or other object. In some embodiments, the toy foam dart 10 may have a length of from about 50 mm to about 100 mm, from about 55 mm to about 95 mm, from about 60 mm to about 90 mm, from about 65 mm to about 85 mm, or from about 70 mm to about 80 mm. In some embodiments, the toy foam dart 10 may have an outer cross-sectional diameter at its widest point, for example of about 10 mm, about 11 mm, about 12 mm, about 13 mm, about 14 mm, or about 15 mm. In other embodiments, the toy foam dart 10 may have other lengths, widths, diameters and/or shapes.

In FIG. 1 , the toy foam dart 10 may include an elongated dart body 20 that extends from a first end 21 to a second end 22 in a longitudinal direction. The toy foam dart may further include a dart cap 30 that may be affixed to the first end 21 of the dart body 20.

In FIG. 2 , a toy foam dart 200 in accordance with another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in an exploded view. The toy foam dart 200 may have a length as described above for FIG. 1 .

In FIG. 2 , the toy foam dart 200 may include an elongated hollow dart body 201 that extends from a first end 201 a to a second end 201 b in a longitudinal direction. The elongated hollow dart body 201 includes an interior bore 202 extending from the first end 201 a to the second end 201 b in a longitudinal direction. The toy foam dart may further include a dart cap 203 that may be affixed to the first end 201 a of the dart body 201.

The toy foam dart 10 may include the foam material of the present disclosure. That is, the toy foam dart 10 may be made from a biodegradable, non-toxic and/or edible foam material that may include a starch, such as wheat, corn starch, or a combination of both. The foam material may be dissolved in water.

In some embodiments, both the dart body 20 and dart cap 30 may be made from the biodegradable foam material. In other embodiments of the toy foam dart, the dart body 20 or the dart cap 30 may be made from the biodegradable foam material.

In other embodiments, the dart cap 30 may be integrally formed to the dart body 20. In some embodiments, the cart cap 30 may be formed of one or more pieces.

In one embodiment, the dart cap 30 may have a Shore durometer measurement that is sufficiently rigid to maintain the integrity of the cap but relatively soft to lessen impact on a target. In some embodiments, the cap may have a Shore A durometer that is within a range of 15 to 80, or a range of 20 to 80, or a range of 20 to or a range of 40 to 70, or a range of 20 to 60, or a range of 30 to 60, or a range of 20 to 40, to name a few. In some embodiments, the cap may have a Shore A durometer that is about 30, or about 40, or about 50 or about 70, to name a few. In other embodiments, the cap may have a Shore A durometer that is at least 20, or at least 30, or at least 40, to name a few. In embodiments, the cap may have a Shore A durometer that is no more than 80, or no more than 70 or no more than 50, to name a few.

The top 40 of dart cap 30 may be substantially flat, may be tapered, may be curved, such as in the shape of a spherical segment, spherical frustum, or spherical dome, or may have some other shape. Providing a taper or curved top to the toy foam dart 10 may enhance the aerodynamic profile of the dart cap to improve the speed and accuracy of the dart and lengthen the distance over which the toy foam dart 10 can travel.

As can be seen in FIG. 3 , in some embodiments, the dart cap 30 may include a stem 50 at the bottom of the cap that may be insertable into a bore 60 of the dart body 30 to affix the dart cap 30 to the dart body 20. The stem may be formed integrally with the dart cap 30 or may be attached thereto, and may be formed of one or more pieces.

In some embodiments, the dart cap 30 may be affixed to the dart body 20 with an adhesive, such as a glue.

In some embodiments, the dart cap 30 may be heavier than the dart body 20 such as by choosing a particular composition of material, so as to position the center of gravity of the toy foam dart 10 toward the first end of the toy foam dart 10. By doing this, the accuracy and aerodynamics of the dart 10 is improved.

In some embodiments, the dart body may have a first density and the dart cap may have a second density, wherein the first density is higher than the second density. If the dart cap is formed from the same foam material of the dart body, the density may be different to satisfy aerodynamics.

In some embodiments, the cap 30 may include a suction cap. The suction cup may be integrally formed with the cap 30, or may be attached thereto using an adhesive.

In some embodiments, the toy foam dart may include an additive. The additive may include food coloring, or other non-toxic additives.

In an embodiment, the dart cap and dart body are prepared according to methods as known to one of skill in the art.

FIG. 4 illustrates a flow chart for manufacturing a toy foam dart according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the manufacturing process of the toy foam dart, the foam material of the present disclosure is inserted into an extruder 401. A dart body is then extruded 402. A dart cap is also extruded 403. The dart cap and dart body are then attached 404 and toy foam dart is produced 405.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail, it would be obvious to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements thereon may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications and improvements that are within the scope of this invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A toy foam dart comprising a biodegradable dart body comprising a foam material comprising a first starch, the foam material having a first density of X; and a biodegradable dart cap affixed to a longitudinal end of the biodegradable dart body, the biodegradable dart cap comprising the starch or a second starch.
 2. The toy foam dart of claim 1, wherein the dart body is cylindrical.
 3. The toy foam dart of claim 1, wherein the first starch comprises cornstarch.
 4. The toy foam dart of claim 3, wherein the toy foam dart has a length from about mm to about 75 mm.
 5. The toy foam dart of claim 3, wherein the toy foam dart has a cross-sectional diameter of about 10 mm.
 6. The toy foam dart of claim 3, wherein the dart cap is integrally formed to the dart body.
 7. The toy foam dart of claim 3, wherein the dart cap is affixed to the dart body via an adhesive.
 8. The toy foam dart of claim 3, wherein the dart body is hollow.
 9. A method of manufacturing the toy foam dart of claim
 1. 